Biden-Harris victory is an emotional one for some
Barbara S. Miller/Observer-Reporter
Cardboard cut-outs of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris appear at the Washington County Democratic headquarters on East Wheeling Street in Washington.
Marta S. McClintock-Comeaux
Jaden Ellis
Jaden Ellis went to the polls with her aunt Nov. 3 for the first time, eager to vote for Joe Biden, whose running mate later made history as the first woman to become vice president of the United States.
Four days later, after a nail-biting vote count, she called Joyce Ellis of Washington with the news that Biden and Kamala Harris had won the election.
“She screamed. I was very happy,” said Jaden Ellis, 18, of Washington.
She said Harris, who is an African-Asian American, will give other women the confidence to believe in themselves.
“It’s going to show that women can do things,” Jaden Ellis said.
Andrew Goudy, president of the Washington Branch of the NAACP, said he, too, “felt very emotional” about the outcome of the election.
“It’s historic. That’s for sure, Goudy said. “Obviously she’s going to be a great inspiration to not only Black girls, but for many people.”
Goudy said he’s not going to pretend that racism is solved now that the nation has had a Black president and will have a woman of color in power in the White House.
“We’re not done. We’re always fighting the battle,” he said.
Marta S. McClintock-Comeaux, director of women’s studies at California University of Pennsylvania, said Harris is “breaking the glass ceiling.”
She said it’s wonderful the vice presidency “is finally captured by a woman and especially one of color.”
McClintock-Comeaux said despite Harris’ victory, there have been tons of comments on social media that she “did something inappropriate” to reach the White House.
“It just continues to show the obstacles women face to get into those positions,” she said.
Ayanna Walker, director of the Frederick Douglass Institute at Cal U., said it was a “monumental occasion” to witness the first Black woman to be elected vice president.
“This moment is important for all women, especially Black women, Asian women, and other women of color to see that it is possible for them to be appointed to the second highest office in the United States,” Walker said. “It is also important for men to see a successful Black woman in this position, and hopefully her appointment paves the way for gender equity in the workplace.”
Joyce Ellis, director of the LeMoyne Community Center in East Washington, said she also did a happy dance after her niece called to say the Biden-Harris ticket won.
She said the excitement in the Black community is “just unbelievable.”
“That is so refreshing,” Joyce Ellis said.